The National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) is pleased to announce Midvale Community Building Community (CBC) was named an inaugural winner of the Hypertension Hero Award by the National Hypertension Control Roundtable (NHCR) on September 7. This distinguished accolade acknowledges the exceptional commitment of Midvale CBC in implementing innovative blood pressure control programming that addresses inequities in care. NACDD funded this programming to support a Community Health Worker-led program as part of the Million Hearts® Health Equity Implementation project.

Midvale CBC is a charitable clinic serving low-income, uninsured Hispanic and Latinx patients and is deeply connected to the community of Midvale, Utah. Million Hearts® Health Equity Implementation project funds were instrumental in purchasing 150 blood pressure cuffs, which dedicated community health workers provide to community members, enabling them to monitor their blood pressure from the comfort of their homes.

“Hypertension often doesn’t receive the attention and resources needed, which are contributing factors to it being a silent killer,” said NACDD CEO John W. Robitscher. “We applaud organizations who provide access and attention to controlling blood pressure, and are proud to support organizations like Midvale CBC that are also actively addressing cardiovascular health inequities. We must continue to work toward closing the gaps in care, which will ultimately save lives.”

The National Hypertension Control Roundtable is a coalition of public, private, and nonprofit organizations like NACDD, dedicated to eliminating disparities in hypertension control through dialogue, partnership, evidence, and innovation. NACDD has been a member of the Steering Committee of the National Hypertension Control Roundtable since its inception and works closely with the CDC Foundation to support the day-to-day work of the NHCR.

Like the NHCR, NACDD’s cardiovascular work emphasizes conversation, partnership, and evidence-based approaches to eliminate disparities in hypertension control. NACDD supports NHCR’s Hypertension Hero Award as one of a myriad of critical efforts to raise awareness of how critical blood pressure screening and control are to the long-term health of Americans, especially those in minoritized groups. NACDD and its partners remain as committed as ever to advancing health equity so that all may achieve their optimal health.